Goat Health 1 - The Healthy Goat

INTRODUCTION

Goats are ruminants like sheep and cattle, and as such share
many of the health problems common to ruminants in the UK.
One factor sets them apart from other ruminants however in that
they have evolved as BROWSING and not GRAZING animals, and if given
the opportunity they will seek out a varied diet including
hedgerow, leaves and bark on trees, weeds, shrubs etc - and not
solely grass. This is important when considering keeping a
goat, and has also resulted in a number of subtle health issues
that the goat owner must be familiar with, and these will be
explored in this series of bulletins.

Goats are browsing animals - you won't see cattle
and sheep in trees!

A HEALTHY GOAT

There are two fundamental skills that a goat owner must develop,
firstly an ability to recognise any physical changes and secondly
any behavioural changes that may develop when a goat is
unwell. It follows therefore that to recognise the abnormal -
a skilled goat owner should get to know their goats well,
recognising that even within a group kept together - there will be
individual variation.

A healthy goat should be bright, alert, inquisitive and
interested in its surroundings. The coat should be shiny, the
eyes bright and nostrils clean. If you have a thermometer
take your goats temperature - as a guide, the "normal" range is
38.60C to 40.60C - average 39.30C
(102 - 1040F).

SIGNS OF ILL-HEALTH

Physical signs that things may be wrong include diarrhoea, a
persistent cough, sudden weight loss, any nervous signs, going off
feed etc - and/or a rise in temperature. Refusing feed or a
gradual reduction in daily feed intake may be early signs that
something is wrong, and as a browsing animal, they may begin to
seek out and eat plants that they would not normally eat such as
ivy leaves.

On the whole, goats are not very vocal animals, if they do begin
to make a noise, then they may simply be hungry and will stop when
they are fed. It is important to point out to a novice keeper
that does can be very vocal when on heat - and this can be mistaken
for pain / discomfort. An increasing bleating or crying which
is totally out of character however, maybe a sign that something is
wrong; as the degree of discomfort increases, the volume may get
louder, but as the condition worsens, the volume and intensity may
decrease and this is never a good sign.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS A GOAT OWNER

It is important to remember that your goat regardless of whether
you are keeping it as a pet or you're farming it for profit, is
designated as a "farm animal" within UK legislation, and as such it
must be registered with the local Defra animal health and
veterinary laboratories agency (AHVLA) office. You will
be issued with a holding (CPHH) number, and your goats must be
identified with a visible ear tag or other accepted form of
identification.

The Animal Welfare Act 2006 is an important piece of
legislation; this makes owners and keepers legally responsible for
ensuring that the welfare needs of kept animals including goats are
met, essentially by good husbandry and management. These
needs are summarised below, and are then expanded on with examples
specific and relevant to goats and goat keepers, through the
remainder of this article:

1. The need for a suitable environment.

2. The need for a suitable diet.

3. The need to exhibit normal behaviour patterns.

4. The need to be housed with, or apart from, other
animals (as applicable).

5. The need to be protected from pain, injury, suffering
and disease.

Ensure that the goat environment is enhanced
(1) - they like things to clamber on and hide
inside.

The need for a suitable environment:

Buildings must be well ventilated, but not too cold, draughty or
dusty. There must be plenty of natural light, but it is also
a requirement during the hours of darkness that artificial light
must be available to enable goats to be inspected at all times
(e.g. when ill or kidding). There must be sufficient space to
move around in, with a minimum of 1.75 sq metres / goat, and there
must be a dry bed to lie down on. There should also be good
access to food and water at all times.

Buildings should be "goat proof," bearing in mind that goats
will investigate and chew fixtures and fittings with their mouth,
can potentially open many gate and door catches, and are
capable of reaching up to 2 metres above the ground on their hind
legs - take care with the location of electrical and light fittings
in particular!

When outdoors, again fencing and gates must be goat proof,
remember they are potential escapologists! They do not like
getting wet, so shelter and a dry lying area must be provided,
together with ready access to clean fresh drinking water.
Where possible allow them to "browse" with access to hedges and
trees, but be familiar with those plants and trees that are
potentially harmful such as Yew, Rhododendron and Pieris.

Goats are great escapists - buildings and fences
must be goat proof.

As ruminants, more than 60% of their daily ration should be made
up forage, this may be hay, straw, pea straw or silage depending on
how they are kept, bearing in mind that some forages are better
quality nutritionally than others and may need additional
supplementation. Large commercial units may feed a TMR (total
mixed ration) based on maize and grass silage with protein and
energy balancers. The forage needs to be balanced
nutritionally with either a commercial compound such as pellets or
a course mix, or cereal grain such as oats, wheat or barley can be
fed (although great care must be taken to introduce cereal grains
gradually and not to overfeed). If you are feeding a group of
goats a course mix, it is important to ensure that they can all
feed together, otherwise the dominant goats that feed first will
select the best bits - leaving poorer quality feed for the shy
feeders - feeding pellets overcomes this selectivity. The
basic recommendation is that a goat should receive no more than
1.0% total body weight of compound / day for maintenance, a gradual
increase will be required for late pregnancy and heavy lactation
demands. Care with tit-bits - do not let your goat get too
fat!!

Don't let your goat become
obese!

The need to develop normal behaviour
patterns:

Ensure that the goat environment is enhanced (2) -
they like things to clamber on and hide inside.

The importance of allowing goats to follow their normal browsing
behaviour has already been mentioned. They are friendly
gregarious animals that genuinely enjoy the company of each other
and of human company - do not place in isolation away from the
sight and sound of other goats. Environmental enrichment is
important, particularly when housed, places to climb onto such as
straw bales and hiding places should be provided wherever
possible.

Ensure that the goat environment is enhanced (3) -
they like things to clamber on and hide inside.

The need to be housed with or apart from other
animals:

A sick goat for example needs to be moved somewhere where it is
not knocked around by fitter stronger goats and does not have to
compete for feed when it is feeling unwell. Elderly and does
due to kid also need this special attention - but as already stated
- do not place them in solitary confinement away from the sight and
sound of others!

The need to be protected from pain injury and
disease:

This will be considered in more detail in accompanying bulletins
in this series.

FURTHER INFORMATION

NADIS hopes that you have found the information in the bulletin useful. Now test your knowledge by enrolling and trying the quiz. You will receive an animal health certificate for this subject if you attain the required standard.

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